Saturday, March 3, 2012

Yea... I'm never coming home. Sorry, Mom!

So, where did we leave off?

Ok so last night I went out with the American couple I am living with, Maggie and Branden, who are awesome by the way.  We went to a place called the Franciscan Well which is apparently one the top 10 pubs in Cork.  They brew their own beers, or should I say ales, lagers, stouts, etc, there.  (the Irish don't like when you say "beer" because it isn't all beer apparently, who knew!?).  I had the Rebel Red beer, naturally, which was delicious.  The Franciscan Well is across the River Lee from where I am staying.  Fun Fact: The River Lee splits just above our house and then re- connects (?) below City Centre, so we are basically completely surrounded by water... which is super comforting with the amount of rain they get here.  Yea, floods are common.  Any-who, found out that "across the river" is synonymous with our "other side of the tracks" in a way, and you don't really want to be caught much further away from where the pub was when the sun is down.  Oh, I almost totally forgot the most hilarious/embarrassing thing about the night- as some of you may know, while I can be smart, sometimes I do idiotic things.  I went to order 3 pints, and when I was paying, instead of handing the bartender a 10 Euro bill I handed him a 10 pound bill.  Before I left for Ireland, my father had some extra Euro and Pounds from the last time he was here that he gave me to spend.  Yea, so basically the bartender held up the 10 pounds with a disgusted look on his face which I thought he was just being an ass because 10 Euro wasn't enough for the three beers... later to find out that I am, in fact, a moron.  So, basically in my first night out in Cork, IRELAND I am the dumb American who tried to pay in pounds when that currency belongs to a country that they really don't care for that much (to put it lightly).  Awesome.

We then walked around city centre a little bit.  It started to be a little colder and rainy.  One of the odd things I have noticed about Irish girls is they LOVE their mini skirts.  You wouldn't think that would be part of the wardrobe of someone who lives an environment that is mostly rainy and cold, but apparently it is a wardrobe staple... along with high heels.  Weird.  I was freezing in my fleece jacket, jeans, scarf, and normal shoes, but then again I am used to Florida weather so that may be part of the problem?  Maybe Irish girls have some sort of cold-resistance on their legs which allows them to wear short skirts in 40 degree weather... or maybe their skin is water-proof? Who knows. 

We went to another pub, can't remember the name, they all look alike.  Of course we took a seat right next to another table of Americans.  OK guys, while I love Americans, since I am one, some of us can be a bit obnoxious (I get there are obnoxious people in every country but since I AM an American, I can make fun of them).  There was a girl sitting there who decided to talk loudly about how she was a 3rd year medical student and how badass she was blah blah blah and how she would NEVER go to a teaching hospital as a patient, since she has worked soooo many hours in one, because the staff is just not as good as a private hospital blah blah blah I am so cool.  Oh shush.  I wanted to be like, listen lady, I am a med student too (fourth year which in cool terms makes me cooler) and WE ARE NOT THAT COOL and no one cares.  But I didn't, probably because I was only 2 pints deep.  Maybe if I had been 3 pints deep... but we will never know.

Today, I explored the city with Maggie.  It was absolutely incredible, hence the title of this blog post.  This city is gorgeous. (see pictures below which will be better than any description I can offer).  We walked around University College- Cork.  Imagine going to school in the medieval times/harry potter land but in modern times, because that is what it looks like.  We also went to St. Finbarres Cathedral which had a creepy cemetery around it and since for some reason I am currently obsessed with possible haunted places, I took many pictures of the cemetery hoping to find orbs or ghosts or whatever those paranormal people find.  I, sadly, didn't capture any ghost-like figures.  

The landscaping here is wonderful.  While it is pretty cool and rains a lot, the sun did come out off and on all day, and when it does it's absolutely amazing.  Everything is so green! (I know what you are thinking... Duh! It's Ireland.  They call it the Emerald Isle for some reason.)  Anyways, long story long... I am having a blast exploring and I am loving my experience here already.  I imagine it will just keep getting better from here on out.  Tomorrow I am taking a day tour to visit Blarney, Cobh, and Kinsale which I am very excited about!  

BEST hot choco ever- Dark and Milk mixed with peppermint oil... like melted chocolate in a glass. (O'Connell's)
St. Finnbarre's
Pretty Gold Angel on the Cathedral






                                      
                                                 Me! At UCC, you can see a lot of Cork from up here.


You can see how hilly it is

Creepy Cemetery.


2 comments:

  1. loving your blog!!! aaaahahaha rebel red indeed (theyre youre weakness after all)

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